CN111142699A

CN111142699A - Touch sensor and display device

Info

Publication number: CN111142699A
Application number: CN201911029112.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 金佳英; 金道益; 金樯熙
Original assignee: Samsung Display Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Display Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-11-06
Filing date: 2019-10-28
Publication date: 2020-05-12
Also published as: US20200142539A1; EP3651005A1; KR102693060B1; US20220365629A1; US11429237B2; KR20200052483A; EP3651005B1

Abstract

A touch sensor and a display device are provided. The touch sensor includes: a substrate layer; first electrode members arranged on the base layer in a first direction and spaced apart in a second direction, each including a first opening and a first touch electrode electrically connected in the first direction; second electrode members arranged on the base layer in a second direction and spaced apart in the first direction, each including a second opening and a second touch electrode electrically connected in the second direction; a first strain gauge including a portion located in the first opening and disposed in the first electrode row of the first electrode member; a second strain gauge including a portion located in the second opening and disposed in the first row of the second touch electrode; a first signal line connected to one end of the first strain gauge; a second signal line connected to the other end of the first strain gauge and spaced apart from the first signal line; a third signal line connected to one end of the second strain gauge and the second signal line; and a fourth signal line connected to the other end of the second strain gauge and spaced apart from the third signal line.

Description

Touch sensor and display device

This application claims priority to korean patent application No. 10-2018 and 0135081, filed by the korean intellectual property office at 11/6/2018, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a touch sensor and a display device.

Background

Electronic devices such as smart phones, tablet PCs, digital cameras, laptop computers, navigation devices, and smart TVs, which can display images, include display devices for displaying images. Such a display device includes a display panel for generating and displaying an image and various input devices.

Recently, a touch sensor recognizing a touch input has been widely used for a display device of a smart phone or a tablet PC. Touch sensors are gradually replacing existing physical input devices such as keyboards due to their convenience.

Disclosure of Invention

Research has been conducted to replace existing physical buttons with pressure sensors for detecting the magnitude of pressure on a display device and touch sensors for detecting a touch position.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a touch sensor for sensing pressure.

It should be noted that the object of the present disclosure is not limited to the above object; and other objects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a touch sensor capable of sensing a pressure of a touch input and a position of the touch input and a display device including the same are provided.

It should be noted that the effects of the present disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other effects of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description.

An embodiment of a touch sensor includes: a substrate layer; first electrode members arranged on the base layer in a first direction and spaced apart from each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction, each of the first electrode members including a first opening and a plurality of first touch electrodes electrically connected to each other in the first direction; second electrode members arranged on the base layer in a second direction and spaced apart from each other in the first direction, each of the second electrode members including a second opening and a plurality of second touch electrodes electrically connected to each other in a second direction crossing the first direction; a first strain gauge including a portion located in the first opening and disposed in a first electrode row among the electrode rows of the first electrode member; a second strain gauge including a portion located in the second opening and disposed in a first row among the rows of the second touch electrodes; a first signal line connected to one end of the first strain gauge; a second signal line connected to the other end of the first strain gauge and spaced apart from the first signal line; a third signal line connected to one end of the second strain gauge and the second signal line; and a fourth signal line connected to the other end of the second strain gauge and spaced apart from the third signal line.

In the touch sensor, the first strain gauge includes: a plurality of first resistance lines electrically connected to each other in a first direction; and a plurality of second resistance lines electrically connected to each other in the first direction, and wherein each of the first resistance lines and each of the second resistance lines are located in the first openings in the first electrode row and are spaced apart from each other in the first openings.

In the touch sensor, the first electrode member further includes first connection portions each connecting two of the first touch electrodes adjacent to each other in the first direction, and the second electrode member further includes second connection portions each connecting two of the second touch electrodes adjacent to each other in the second direction, the second connection portions being insulated from the first connection portions, wherein the first touch electrodes, the second touch electrodes, the first resistance lines, and the second resistance lines are located in the same first layer, one of the first connection portions and the second connection portions is located in a second layer different from the first layer, and the other of the first connection portions and the second connection portions is located in the first layer.

In the touch sensor, the first strain gauge includes: first connection lines each connecting two first resistance lines adjacent to each other in a first direction among the first resistance lines; and second connection lines each connecting two of the second resistance lines adjacent to each other in the first direction, and wherein the first connection line and the second connection line are located in the second layer.

In the touch sensor, the first gauge further includes a first connection pattern connected to the first resistance line and the second resistance line and located in the same layer as the first resistance line or the second resistance line, and wherein the first connection pattern is located in an outermost first opening of the first electrode row among the first openings.

The touch sensor may further include: and an insulating layer disposed on the base layer, wherein the first connection line and the second connection line are disposed on the base layer, wherein the insulating layer is disposed on the first connection line and the second connection line, and wherein the first touch electrode, the second touch electrode, the first resistance line, and the second resistance line are disposed on the insulating layer.

In the touch sensor, the base layer includes a first encapsulation inorganic layer, an encapsulation organic layer disposed on the first encapsulation inorganic layer, and a second encapsulation inorganic layer disposed on the encapsulation organic layer, and wherein the first connection line and the second connection line are disposed on the second encapsulation inorganic layer.

In the touch sensor, the first electrode member further includes first connection portions each connecting two of the first touch electrodes adjacent to each other in the first direction, and the second electrode member further includes second connection portions each connecting two of the plurality of second touch electrodes adjacent to each other in the second direction, the second connection portions being insulated from the first connection portions, wherein the first touch electrodes, the second touch electrodes, and the first resistance lines are located in the same first layer, one of the first connection portions and the second connection portions is located in a second layer different from the first layer, and the other of the first connection portions and the second connection portions is located in the first layer, and the second resistance lines are located in the second layer.

In the touch sensor, the first electrode member further includes first connection portions each connecting two of the first touch electrodes adjacent to each other in the first direction, and the second electrode member further includes second connection portions each connecting two of the second touch electrodes adjacent to each other in the second direction, the second connection portions being insulated from the first connection portions, wherein the first touch electrodes and the second touch electrodes are located in the same first layer, one of the first connection portions and the second connection portions is located in a second layer different from the first layer, and the other of the first connection portions and the second connection portions is located in the first layer, and the first resistance lines and the second resistance lines are located in the second layer.

In the touch sensor, the second strain gauge includes: a plurality of third resistance lines electrically connected to each other in the first direction; and a plurality of fourth resistance lines electrically connected to each other in the first direction; third connection lines each connecting two third resistance lines adjacent to each other in the first direction among the third resistance lines; and fourth connection lines each connecting two fourth resistance lines adjacent to each other in the first direction among the fourth resistance lines, wherein each of the third resistance lines and each of the fourth resistance lines are located in the second openings in the first row and are spaced apart from each other in the second openings.

In the touch sensor, the area of the second opening is larger than the area of the first opening.

The touch sensor may further include: a third strain gauge located in a second electrode row adjacent to the first electrode row in the second direction among the electrode rows of the first electrode member, and including a portion located in the first opening in the second electrode row; and a fourth strain gauge located in a second row adjacent to the first row in the second direction among the rows of the second touch electrodes and including a portion located in the second opening in the second row, wherein the first row is located between the first and second electrode rows along the second direction, and the second electrode row is located between the first and second rows along the second direction.

The touch sensor may further include: a fifth signal line connected to one end of the third strain gauge and the fourth signal line; a sixth signal line connected to the other end of the third strain gauge; a seventh signal line connected to one end of the fourth strain gauge and the sixth signal line; and an eighth signal line connected to the other end of the fourth strain gauge.

In the touch sensor, a sensing region provided with a first electrode member and a second electrode member and a peripheral region around the sensing region are defined in the base layer, wherein a third signal line is connected to the second signal line in the peripheral region, a fifth signal line is connected to the fourth signal line in the peripheral region, and a seventh signal line is connected to the sixth signal line in the peripheral region.

The touch sensor may further include: and a wheatstone bridge circuit including a first node to which a driving voltage is applied, a second node to which a reference voltage is applied, a first output node, and a second output node, wherein the first signal line and the eighth signal line are electrically connected to the first node, the third signal line is electrically connected to the second output node, the fifth signal line is electrically connected to the second node, and the seventh signal line is electrically connected to the first output node.

In the touch sensor, the base layer includes a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region in the first direction, wherein the first strain gauge further includes: a first conductive pattern electrically connected to the first resistance line in a first direction and having a shape different from a shape of the first resistance line; and a second conductive pattern connected to the second resistance line in the first direction and having a shape different from a shape of the second resistance line, wherein the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern are located in the first opening in the first region and are spaced apart from each other, and wherein the first resistance line and the second resistance line are located in the first opening in the second region.

In the touch sensor, the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern have a mesh structure.

The touch sensor may further include: and a dummy pattern located in a different region than the second strain gauge, wherein the dummy pattern is disposed in a second opening among the second openings, which is located in the different region, and is spaced apart from the second touch electrode, and wherein the first touch electrode, the second touch electrode, and the dummy pattern are located in the same first layer, and the first touch electrode and the second touch electrode are made of the same material.

The touch sensor may further include: a plurality of noise sensing electrodes located in a different region than the first strain gauge and electrically connected to each other in the first direction, wherein each noise sensing electrode is located in the first opening in the different region and spaced apart from the first touch electrode.

The touch sensor may further include: a controller configured to cancel noise in the signal sensed by the first electrode member based on the noise signal sensed by the noise sensing electrode.

An embodiment of a touch sensor includes: a substrate layer; a plurality of touch electrodes disposed on the base layer and arranged in a first direction and each having an opening; and a strain gauge including a plurality of first resistance lines electrically connected to each other in the first direction, a plurality of second resistance lines electrically connected to each other in the first direction, and a connection pattern connecting one of the first resistance lines with a corresponding one of the second resistance lines, wherein each of the first resistance lines is located in the opening and spaced apart from the touch electrode, and each of the second resistance lines is located in the opening and spaced apart from the touch electrode and the first resistance lines.

In the touch sensor, the first resistance line or the second resistance line is located in the same layer as the touch electrode and is made of the same material as the touch electrode.

In the touch sensor, the first resistance line and the second resistance line are located in different layers from the touch electrode.

The touch sensor may further include: noise sensing electrodes located in different regions than the strain gauges, wherein the noise sensing electrodes are located in openings in the different regions and are spaced apart from the touch electrodes.

In the touch sensor, the noise sensing electrode is located in the same layer as the touch electrode and is made of the same material as the touch electrode.

An embodiment of a display device includes: a base substrate; a light emitting diode disposed on the base substrate; the thin film packaging layer is arranged on the light emitting diode; a touch electrode disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer and including an opening; and a strain gauge, wherein the strain gauge includes a first resistance line and a second resistance line that are located in the opening and separated from the touch electrode, a first connection line connected to the first resistance line and located in a layer different from the touch electrode, a second connection line connected to the second resistance line, separated from the first connection line and located in the same layer as the first connection line, and a connection pattern connected to the first resistance line and the second resistance line and located in the same layer as the touch electrode or the first connection line.

Drawings

The above and other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is a diagram of the touch sensor of fig. 2, in particular, a plan view showing a sensor portion of the touch sensor and a connection relationship between the sensor portion and a controller;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the first, second, third and fourth strain gauges shown in FIG. 3;

fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a portion Qa of fig. 3;

fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a structure of a first layer of the sensor portion shown in fig. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of portion Q1 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of portion Q2 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view of portion Q3 of FIG. 6;

fig. 10 is a plan view showing a modification of the example shown in fig. 9;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged plan view of portion Q4 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a modification of the example shown in FIG. 11;

fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a second layer of the sensor portion illustrated in fig. 5;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X1-X1' of FIG. 5;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X2-X2' of FIG. 5;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X3-X3' of FIG. 5;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X4-X4' of FIG. 5;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X5-X5' of FIG. 5;

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X6-X6' of FIG. 5;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X7-X7' of FIG. 5;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X8-X8' of FIG. 5;

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X9-X9' of FIG. 5;

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X10-X10' of FIG. 5;

fig. 24 is a diagram showing a structure of a first layer according to a modification of the example shown in fig. 6;

fig. 25 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a second layer according to a modification of the example illustrated in fig. 13;

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the example shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the example shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the example shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the example shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the example shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the example shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the example shown in FIG. 22;

FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the example shown in FIG. 23;

fig. 34 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a first layer according to another modification of the example illustrated in fig. 6;

fig. 35 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a second layer according to another modification of the example illustrated in fig. 13;

FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view of another modification of the example shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view of another modification of the example shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 38 is a cross-sectional view of another modification of the example shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 39 is a cross-sectional view of another modification of the example shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 40 is a cross-sectional view of another modification of the example shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 41 is a cross-sectional view of another modification of the example shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 42 is a cross-sectional view of another modification of the example shown in FIG. 22;

FIG. 43 is a cross-sectional view of another modification of the example shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 44 is an enlarged plan view of portion Q5 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 45 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the sensor portion and display panel taken along line X11-X11' in FIG. 44;

fig. 46 is a diagram for illustrating an operation of detecting a touch position according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 47 is a plan view schematically showing the first strain gauge, the second strain gauge, the third strain gauge, the fourth strain gauge, the arrangement of the first to eighth signal lines, and the connections of the wheatstone bridge circuit shown in fig. 3;

fig. 48 is a circuit diagram for illustrating an operation of detecting a touch pressure of a touch sensor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, in particular, a wheatstone bridge circuit electrically connected to the first, second, third, and fourth strain gauges illustrated in fig. 47;

fig. 49 is a plan view showing a sensor portion of a touch sensor and a connection relationship between the sensor portion and a controller according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 50 is an enlarged plan view of the first, second, third and fourth strain gauges shown in FIG. 49;

FIG. 51 is an enlarged view of a portion Qb of FIG. 49;

fig. 52 is a diagram showing an example of a structure of a first layer of the sensor portion shown in fig. 51;

FIG. 53 is an enlarged plan view of portion Q6 of FIG. 52;

fig. 54 is a diagram showing an example of a structure of a second layer of the sensor portion shown in fig. 51;

FIG. 55 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xa-Xa' of FIG. 51;

fig. 56 is a diagram showing a structure of a first layer according to a modification of the example shown in fig. 52;

fig. 57 is a diagram showing a structure of a second layer according to a modification of the example shown in fig. 54;

fig. 58 is a diagram showing a structure of a first layer according to another modification of the example shown in fig. 52;

and

fig. 59 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a second layer according to another modification of the example illustrated in fig. 54.

Detailed Description

The features of the inventive concept and methods of accomplishing the same may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The inventive concept may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the concept of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art, and the inventive concept will only be defined by the appended claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the inventive concept. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "connected to" or "coupled to" another element or layer, it can be directly on, connected or coupled to the other element or layer or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element or layer is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the inventive concept.

Exemplary embodiments of the inventive subject matter are described herein with reference to plan and perspective views that are schematic illustrations of idealized exemplary embodiments of the inventive subject matter. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Accordingly, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to specific features, but may include deviations depending on manufacturing processes. Accordingly, regions illustrated in the drawings have schematic properties, and shapes of the regions illustrated in the drawings are only for illustrating a specific shape, and are not for limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

The figures are not drawn to scale and the relative sizes of various elements in the figures are schematically depicted and not necessarily drawn to scale.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the touch sensor shown in fig. 1.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the display device 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a touch sensor TSM and a display panel 300, and may further include a display panel driver 400. The touch sensor TSM includes a sensor portion 100 and a controller 200.

It is to be noted that, although the sensor portion 100 and the display panel 300 are separated from each other in the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1, this is for convenience of illustration, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the sensor portion 100 and the display panel 300 may be integrally formed.

The display panel 300 includes a display area DA and a non-display area NDA surrounding at least a portion of the display area DA. In the display area DA, a plurality of scan lines 310, a plurality of data lines 320, and a plurality of pixels P connected to the scan lines 310 and the data lines 320 may be disposed. In the non-display area NDA, lines for supplying various driving signals and/or power supply voltages for driving the pixels P may be provided.

The type of the display panel 300 is not particularly limited thereto. For example, the display panel 300 may be a self-luminous display panel such as an organic light emitting display panel (OLED panel), a quantum dot light emitting display panel (QLED panel), a micro light emitting diode display panel (micro LED display panel), and a nano light emitting diode display panel (nano LED display panel). Alternatively, the display panel 300 may be a non-light emitting display panel, such as a liquid crystal display panel (LCD panel), an electrophoretic display panel (EPD panel), and an electrowetting display panel (EWD panel). When the display panel 300 is a non-light emitting display panel, the display device 1 may further include a backlight unit for supplying light to the display panel 300. In the following description, an organic light emitting display panel is taken as an example of the display panel 300 for convenience of description.

The display panel driver 400 is electrically connected to the display panel 300 to supply signals required for driving the display panel 300. For example, the display panel driver 400 may include at least one of a scan driver for supplying a scan signal to the scan lines 310, a data driver for supplying a data signal to the data lines 320, and a timing controller for driving the scan driver and the data driver. In some exemplary embodiments, the scan driver, the data driver, and/or the timing controller may be (but is not limited to) integrated as a single display IC (D-IC). For example, in another exemplary embodiment, at least one of the scan driver, the data driver, and the timing controller may be integrated into the display panel 300 or mounted on the display panel 300.

The sensor part 100 may be disposed on at least one region of the display panel 300. For example, the sensor part 100 may be formed on at least one surface of the display panel 300 such that the sensor part 100 overlaps the display panel 300. For example, the sensor part 100 may be disposed on a surface (e.g., an upper surface) from which an image is displayed, of two surfaces of the display panel 300. Alternatively, the sensor part 100 may be directly formed on at least one of the two surfaces of the display panel 300, or may be formed inside the display panel 300. For example, the sensor part 100 may be directly formed on an outer surface of a top substrate (or a thin film encapsulation layer) or a bottom substrate (e.g., an upper surface of the top substrate or a lower surface of the bottom substrate) of the display panel 300, or may be directly formed on an inner surface of the top substrate or the bottom substrate (e.g., a lower surface of the top substrate or an upper surface of the bottom substrate).

The sensor portion 100 includes a sensing region SA and a peripheral region NSA surrounding at least a portion of the sensing region SA. In some exemplary embodiments, the sensing area SA may be an area of the sensor part 100 where a touch input is sensed, and the peripheral area NSA may be an area of the sensor part 100 where a touch input is not sensed. In some exemplary embodiments, the sensing area SA may be aligned with the display area DA of the display panel 300, and the peripheral area NSA may be aligned with the non-display area NDA of the display panel 300. For example, the sensing area SA of the sensor part 100 may overlap the display area DA of the display panel 300, and the peripheral area NSA of the sensor part 100 may overlap the non-display area NDA of the display panel 300.

A plurality of first electrode members 120 and a plurality of second electrode members 130 for detecting a touch input may be disposed in the sensing area SA of the sensor part 100.

The first electrode members 120 may extend in a first direction x, and may be spaced apart from each other in a second direction y intersecting the first direction x. That is, the first electrode members 120 extending in the first direction x may be spaced apart in the second direction y to form electrode rows.

The second electrode members 130 may extend in the second direction y, and may be spaced apart from each other in the first direction x. The second electrode member 130 may be spaced apart and insulated from the first electrode member 120. That is, the second electrode members 130 extending in the second direction y may be spaced apart from each other in the first direction x to form columns.

The shape, size and/or orientation of the first electrode member 120 and the second electrode member 130 are not particularly limited thereto. As a non-limiting example, the first electrode member 120 and the second electrode member 130 may be configured as shown in fig. 3, which will be described later.

The first electrode member 120 and the second electrode member 130 may be electrically connected to the controller 200. In some exemplary embodiments, the second electrode member 130 may be a driving electrode member receiving a driving signal Ts for detecting a touch from the controller 200, and the first electrode member 120 may be a sensing electrode member outputting a sensing signal Rs for detecting a touch to the controller 200.

The first and

second electrode members

120 and 130 may overlap at least one of the electrodes of the display panel 300. For example, when the display panel 300 is an organic light emitting display panel, the first electrode member 120 and the second electrode member 130 may overlap with a cathode electrode or the like of the display panel 300.

The strain gauge 150 may be disposed in a sensing area SA of the sensor part 100 to detect a touch pressure. The length or cross-sectional area of the strain gauge 150 may change upon application of an external force such that the resistance value may change. The strain gauge 150 may be spaced apart from the first and

second electrode members

120 and 130, and may be insulated from the first and

second electrode members

120 and 130.

In some exemplary embodiments, at least a portion of the strain gauge 150 may extend in the first direction x as the first electrode member 120.

In some embodiments, the strain gauges 150 may include a first strain gauge 150a, a second strain gauge 150b, a third strain gauge 150c, and a fourth strain gauge 150 d. The strain gauge 150 will be described in detail later.

In the sensing region SA of the sensor part 100, a noise sensing electrode member 170 for sensing noise may be further provided.

The noise sensing electrode member 170 may be electrically connected to the controller 200, and may be electrically connected to a touch detector 230, which will be described in more detail later. The noise sensing electrode member 170 may sense noise generated in the sensor part 100 and may supply it to the touch detector 230 as the noise sensing signal Ns.

The noise sensing electrode members 170 may extend in a first direction x, and may be spaced apart from each other in a second direction y intersecting the first direction x. In some exemplary embodiments, the noise sensing electrode member 170 may be spaced apart from the first electrode member 120, the second electrode member 130, and the strain gauge 150.

The controller 200 may be electrically connected to the sensor part 100 to supply a driving signal Ts to the sensor part 100, and may receive a sensing signal Rs from the sensor part 100 in response to the driving signal Ts, thereby detecting a touch position. Further, the controller 200 may be electrically connected to the strain gauge 150 to detect the touch pressure.

In some exemplary embodiments, the controller 200 may further include a touch driver 210, a touch detector 230, and a pressure detector 250.

The touch driver 210 may provide a driving signal Ts for detecting a touch input to the second electrode member 130.

The touch detector 230 may receive a sensing signal Rs from the first electrode member 120 in response to the driving signal Ts and detect the presence and/or location (if any) of a touch input. In some exemplary embodiments, the sensing signal Rs may be a change in mutual capacitance between the first electrode member 120 and the second electrode member 130. More specifically, when a touch input is made, the capacitance changes at the point where the touch input is made or at the periphery of the point where the touch input is made. The touch detector 230 may receive a variation amount of a mutual capacitance between the first electrode member 120 and the second electrode member 130 as the sensing signal Rs, and may detect whether there is a touch input and/or a location of the touch input (if any) by using the received sensing signal Rs. In addition, the touch detector 230 may receive the noise sensing signal Ns from the noise sensing electrode member 170, and may remove or cancel noise included in the sensing signal Rs using the noise sensing signal Ns.

In some exemplary embodiments, the touch detector 230 may include one or more amplifiers for amplifying the received sensing signal Rs, an analog-to-digital converter coupled to an output of the amplifier, and a processor. The touch detector 230 will be described in more detail later with reference to fig. 46.

The pressure detector 250 may be electrically connected to the strain gauge 150, and may detect a touch pressure based on a change in resistance value of the strain gauge 150. In some exemplary embodiments, the pressure detector 250 may include a Wheatstone bridge circuit (Wheatstone bridge circuit) electrically connected to each of the first, second, third and

fourth strain gauges

150a, 150b, 150c and 150 d.

In some exemplary embodiments, the touch driver 210, the touch detector 230, and the pressure detector 250 may be integrated into a single touch IC. However, it will be understood that this is merely illustrative.

In some other exemplary embodiments, touch driver 210 and touch detector 230 may be integrated into a single touch IC, while pressure detector 250 may be located external to the touch IC. For example, the pressure detector 250 may be disposed on the display panel 300, or may be disposed on a separate flexible circuit board.

Hereinafter, the touch sensor TSM will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 3 to 23.

Fig. 3 is a diagram of the touch sensor of fig. 2, and in particular, is a plan view illustrating a sensor portion of the touch sensor and a connection relationship between the sensor portion and a controller. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the first, second, third, and fourth strain gauges shown in fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a portion Qa of fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of a first layer of the sensor portion illustrated in fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view of a portion Q1 of fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view of a portion Q2 of fig. 6. Fig. 9 is an enlarged plan view of a portion Q3 of fig. 6. Fig. 10 is a plan view showing a modification of the example shown in fig. 9. Fig. 11 is an enlarged plan view of a portion Q4 of fig. 6. Fig. 12 is a plan view showing a modification of the example shown in fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of a second layer of the sensor portion illustrated in fig. 5. Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken along line X1-X1' of fig. 5. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X2-X2' of FIG. 5. Fig. 16 is a sectional view taken along line X3-X3' of fig. 5. Fig. 17 is a sectional view taken along line X4-X4' of fig. 5. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X5-X5' of FIG. 5. Fig. 19 is a sectional view taken along line X6-X6' of fig. 5. Fig. 20 is a sectional view taken along line X7-X7' of fig. 5. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X8-X8' of FIG. 5. FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X9-X9' of FIG. 5. Fig. 23 is a sectional view taken along line X10-X10' of fig. 5.

Referring to fig. 3 to 23, the sensor portion 100 includes a base layer 110, a first electrode member 120, a second electrode member 130, a first strain gauge 150a, a second strain gauge 150b, a third strain gauge 150c, and a fourth strain gauge 150d, and may further include a noise sensing electrode member 170. The sensor portion 100 may also include a dummy electrode 190.

The base layer 110 may include a sensing region SA and a peripheral region NSA. The base layer 110 serves as a base of the sensor portion 100, and may be one of constituent layers of the display panel 300 in some exemplary embodiments. For example, in an exemplary embodiment in which the sensor portion 100 and the display panel 300 are integrally formed, the base layer 110 may be at least one of constituent layers of the display panel 300. For example, the base layer 110 may be a thin film encapsulation layer of the display panel 300. Alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, the land layer 110 may be a rigid substrate or a flexible substrate. For example, the base layer 110 may be a rigid substrate made of glass or tempered glass, or a flexible substrate in the form of a film made of a flexible plastic material. For convenience, in the following description, it is assumed that the base layer 110 is composed of at least one of constituent layers of the display panel 300 (e.g., a layer including a thin film encapsulation layer).

In the sensing region SA of the base layer 110, a first electrode member 120, a second electrode member 130 insulated from the first electrode member 120, and first, second, third, and

fourth strain gauges

150a, 150b, 150c, and 150d insulated from the first and

second electrode members

120 and 130 may be disposed.

As described above, the first electrode members 120 may extend in the first direction x and may be spaced apart from each other in the second direction y. Each of the first electrode members 120 spaced apart from each other in the second direction y may form an electrode row. In the example shown in fig. 3, eight first electrode members 120 are arranged in the second direction y, including a first electrode row RE1, a second electrode row RE2, a third electrode row RE3, a fourth electrode row RE4, a fifth electrode row RE5, a sixth electrode row RE6, a seventh electrode row RE7, and an eighth electrode row RE8, which are arranged in this order in the second direction y. However, it will be understood that the present disclosure is not so limited. The number of the first electrode members 120 may be varied as needed.

The first electrode member 120 may include a plurality of first touch electrodes 121 arranged in the first direction x and a plurality of first connection portions 123 each electrically connecting the first touch electrodes 121 adjacent to each other in the first direction x. In the following description of example embodiments, the term "connected" may include physically and/or electrically connected.

In some exemplary embodiments, the first touch electrode 121 may be located in the first layer L1. The first touch electrode 121 may have a diamond or rectangular shape, but is not limited thereto. The first touch electrode 121 may have any one of various shapes such as a triangle, other types of quadrangles, a pentagon, a circle, and a bar.

The first touch electrode 121 may include a conductive material. For example, the conductive material may include a metal or an alloy thereof. Examples of the metal may include gold (Au), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), copper (Cu), platinum (Pt), and the like. In addition, the first touch electrode 121 may be made of a transparent conductive material. Examples of the transparent conductive material may include silver nanowires (AgNW), Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO), Antimony Zinc Oxide (AZO), Indium Tin Zinc Oxide (ITZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), tin oxide (SnO)₂) Carbon nanotubes, graphene, and the like.

In some exemplary embodiments, the first touch electrode 121 may be composed of a single layer structure or a multi-layer structure. When the first touch electrode 121 has a multi-layer structure, the first touch electrode 121 may include a plurality of metal layers. For example, the first touch electrode 121 may have a three-layer structure of titanium (Ti)/aluminum (Al)/titanium (Ti).

In some exemplary embodiments, the first touch electrodes 121 may have a mesh structure such that they are not seen by a user. When the first touch electrodes 121 have a mesh structure, the first touch electrodes 121 may be disposed such that they do not overlap with the light emitting region of the display panel 300. In other words, mesh holes overlapping the light emitting region may be defined in the first touch electrode 121 having a mesh structure.

In some exemplary embodiments, the first touch electrodes 121 spaced apart from each other in the second direction y may form an electrode column. In the example illustrated in fig. 3, eight first touch electrodes 121 forming a first electrode column CE1, a second electrode column CE2, a third electrode column CE3, a fourth electrode column CE4, a fifth electrode column CE5, a sixth electrode column CE6, a seventh electrode column CE7, and an eighth electrode column CE8 arranged in the first direction x are arranged in a single column. However, it will be understood that the present disclosure is not so limited. The number of electrode columns of the first touch electrode 121 may vary as needed.

Each of the first touch electrodes 121 may include a first opening OP 1. For example, at least a central portion of each of the first touch electrodes 121 may be open such that a layer disposed thereunder may be exposed therethrough. For example, when the insulating layer IL is disposed under the first touch electrode 121, a portion of the insulating layer IL may be exposed through the first opening OP 1.

The first connection part 123 may electrically connect the first touch electrodes 121 adjacent to each other in the first direction x, and may be in contact with the first touch electrodes 121. In some exemplary embodiments, the first connection parts 123 may be implemented as a bridge connection pattern. In some exemplary embodiments, the first connection part 123 may be disposed in a second layer L2 different from the first layer L1 in which the first touch electrode 121 is disposed.

In some exemplary embodiments, an insulating layer IL may be disposed between the first touch electrode 121 and the first connection portion 123. In some exemplary embodiments, the first connection parts 123 in the second layer L2 may be disposed on the base layer 110, an insulating layer IL may be disposed over the first connection parts 123, and the first touch electrodes 121 in the first layer L1 may be disposed on the insulating layer IL. In addition, the first connection portion 123 may be connected to the first touch electrode 121 through a first contact hole CH1 formed in the insulating layer IL and make contact with the first touch electrode 121.

The insulating layer IL may include an insulating material. In some exemplary embodiments, the insulating material may be an inorganic insulating material or an organic insulating material. The inorganic insulating material may include at least one of aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, silicon oxynitride, zirconium oxide, and hafnium oxide. The organic insulating material may include at least one selected from the group consisting of an acrylic resin, a methacrylic resin, polyisoprene, a vinyl resin, an epoxy resin, a urethane resin, a cellulose resin, a siloxane resin, a polyimide resin, a polyamide resin, and a perylene resin.

The first connection portion 123 may include a conductive material. In some exemplary embodiments, the first connection part 123 may include the same material as the first touch electrode 121, or may include at least one selected from the materials listed above as the material of the first touch electrode 121. In some exemplary embodiments, the first connection part 123 may be composed of a single layer or a plurality of layers. For example, the first connection part 123 may have a three-layer structure of titanium (Ti)/aluminum (Al)/titanium (Ti). However, it will be understood that the present disclosure is not so limited. The first connection portion 123 may be made of a material different from that of the first touch electrode 121.

Although the drawings show that each of the first connection portions 123 is disposed between the first touch electrodes 121 adjacent to each other in the first direction x, the number of the first connection portions 123 is not limited thereto. For example, two or more first connection portions 123 may be disposed between two first touch electrodes 121 adjacent to each other in the first direction x.

As described above, the second electrode members 130 may extend in the second direction y, and may be spaced apart from each other in the first direction x. Each of the second electrode members 130 spaced apart from each other in the first direction x may form one column. In the example shown in fig. 3, seven second electrode members 130 are arranged in the first direction x, including a first column CO1, a second column CO2, a third column CO3, a fourth column CO4, a fifth column CO5, a sixth column CO6, and a seventh column CO7 arranged in the reversed first direction x. However, it will be understood that the present disclosure is not so limited. The number of the second electrode members 130 may be varied as needed.

The second electrode member 130 may include a plurality of second touch electrodes 131 arranged in the second direction y and a second connection part 133 electrically connecting the second touch electrodes 131 adjacent to each other in the second direction y.

The second touch electrodes 131 may be electrically connected to each other in the second direction y. In addition, the second touch electrodes 131 may be spaced apart from each other in the first direction x.

In some exemplary embodiments, the second touch electrodes 131 spaced apart from each other in the first direction x may form a plurality of rows. In the example shown in fig. 3, seven second touch electrodes 131 forming a first row RO1, a second row RO2, a third row RO3, a fourth row RO4, a fifth row RO5, a sixth row RO6, a seventh row RO7, and an eighth row RO8 arranged in the first direction x are arranged in a single row. However, it will be understood that the present disclosure is not so limited. The number of rows of the second touch electrodes 131 may vary as needed.

In some exemplary embodiments, each row of the second touch electrodes 131 may be located between every two electrode rows of the first electrode member 120. For example, the first row RO1 may be located between the first electrode row RE1 and the second electrode row RE2, and the second row RO2 may be located between the second electrode row RE2 and the third electrode row RE 3. That is, the rows of the second touch electrodes 131 and the rows of the first electrode members 120 may be repeatedly and alternately arranged in the second direction y.

Each of the second touch electrodes 131 may include a second opening OP 2. For example, at least a central portion of each of the second touch electrodes 131 may be open such that a layer disposed thereunder may be exposed therethrough. For example, when the insulating layer IL is disposed under the second touch electrode 131, a portion of the insulating layer IL may be exposed through the second opening OP 2.

In some exemplary embodiments, the area of the second opening OP2 may be different from the area of the first opening OP 1. For example, the area of the second opening OP2 may be larger than the area of the first opening OP 1.

In some exemplary embodiments, the second touch electrode 131 and the first touch electrode 121 may be located on the same layer (i.e., the first layer L1). The second touch electrode 131 may have, but is not limited to, a diamond shape when viewed from the top. The second touch electrode 131 may have any one of various shapes such as a triangle, a quadrangle other than a rhombus, a pentagon, a circle, and a bar.

The second connection part 133 may electrically connect the second touch electrodes 131 adjacent to each other in the second direction y and may be in contact with the second touch electrodes 131. In some exemplary embodiments, the second connection part 133 may be disposed in the same first layer L1 as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131.

The second connection part 133 may be insulated from the first connection part 123 and intersect the first connection part 123. In some exemplary embodiments, an insulating layer IL may be disposed between the second connection part 133 and the first connection part 123.

The second touch electrode 131 and the second connection part 133 may include a conductive material. In some exemplary embodiments, the second touch electrode 131 and the second connection part 133 may be made of the same conductive material as the first touch electrode 121.

In some exemplary embodiments, when the first touch electrode 121 has a mesh structure, the second touch electrode 131 and the second connection part 133 may have a mesh structure like the first touch electrode 121.

In some exemplary embodiments, the second touch electrode 131 may be a driving electrode receiving a driving signal Ts for detecting a touch position, and the first touch electrode 121 may be a sensing electrode outputting a sensing signal Rs for detecting a touch position.

The first strain gauge 150a may be located in one electrode row of the first electrode member 120. For example, first strain gauge 150a may be located in first electrode row RE 1.

The first gauge 150a may include a first resistance line 151a, a second resistance line 153a, a first connection line 155a, a second connection line 157a, and a first connection pattern 159 a.

The first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a may be positioned in the first opening OP1 formed in each first touch electrode 121 of the first electrode row RE1, and may be spaced apart from the first touch electrode 121. In addition, the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a may be spaced apart from each other in the first opening OP 1. In some exemplary embodiments, the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a may not overlap each other when viewed from the top.

The first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a may be meandered in a predetermined pattern. When a pressure having a certain intensity is applied to the sensor portion 100 of the touch sensor TSM, the length of the first resistance line 151a and/or the length of the second resistance line 153a are/is changed. Accordingly, the resistance value of the first strain gauge 150a is changed, and the intensity of the touch pressure may be determined based on the changed resistance value.

In some exemplary embodiments, as shown in fig. 9, each of the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a may have a shape including two or more bent portions and portions extending in a direction intersecting the first and second directions x and y.

Alternatively, the shape of the first resistance line 151a and the shape of the second resistance line 153a may be variously changed.

In some exemplary embodiments, the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a may be located in the same first layer L1 as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131. For example, when the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131 are disposed on the insulating layer IL, the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a may also be disposed on the insulating layer IL.

The first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a may include a conductive material. In some exemplary embodiments, the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a may be made of the same material as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131.

When the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131 have a mesh structure, the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a may be formed by removing a portion of the mesh structure. When the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a are formed by removing a portion of the mesh structure, in some exemplary embodiments, the branch portions BPa connected to the first and/or

second resistance lines

151a and 153a and spaced apart from each other may be further located in the first opening OP1 as shown in fig. 10.

The branch portion BPa may be the remaining portion after a portion of the mesh structure has been removed. The branch portion BPa may be spaced apart from the first touch electrode 121, and may be disposed in the same first layer L1 as the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a, and may be made of the same material as the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153 a.

The first connection line 155a may electrically connect the first resistance lines 151a adjacent to each other in the first direction x, and may be in contact with the first resistance lines 151 a. The second connection line 157a may electrically connect the second resistance lines 153a adjacent to each other in the first direction x, and may be in contact with the second resistance lines 153 a. The first and

second connection lines

155a and 157a may be spaced apart from each other and not in contact with the first and

second electrode members

120 and 130. In some exemplary embodiments, the first and

second connection lines

155a and 157a may be located in the same second layer L2 as the first connection part 123a, and may be made of the same material as the first connection part 123 a.

In some exemplary embodiments, an insulating layer IL may be disposed between the first resistance line 151a and the first connection line 155a and between the second resistance line 153a and the second connection line 157 a. For example, the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a may be disposed on the insulating layer IL, and the first and

second connection lines

155a and 157a may be disposed under the insulating layer IL.

The first resistance line 151a and the first connection line 155a may be connected to each other and may contact each other through a third contact hole CH3 formed in the insulating layer IL. The second resistance line 153a and the second connection line 157a may be connected to each other and may contact each other through a fourth contact hole CH4 formed in the insulating layer IL.

In some exemplary embodiments, the first connection pattern 159a may be located in the first opening OP1 formed in the first electrode row RE1 and the first electrode column CE 1. That is, the first connection pattern 159a may be disposed in the outermost first opening OP1 of the first electrode row RE1 in the first direction x. The first connection pattern 159a may connect the first resistance line 151a with the second resistance line 153 a. In some exemplary embodiments, the first connection pattern 159a may be located in the first layer L1 with the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131, and may include the same conductive material as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131.

When viewed from the top, the first gauge 150a including the first resistance lines 151a, the first connection lines 155a, the second resistance lines 153a, the second connection lines 157a, and the first connection patterns 159a may have a shape extending from one side to the other side of the sensor portion 100 in the first direction x and then extending from the other side to the one side in the first direction x. Accordingly, both ends of the first strain gauge 150a may be positioned adjacent to one side of the sensing area SA, for example, adjacent to the left side of the sensing area SA in fig. 3.

The second strain gauge 150b may be positioned in one row of the second touch electrodes 131. For example, the second strain gauge 150b may be located in the first row RO 1.

The second strain gauge 150b may include third resistance lines 151b, fourth resistance lines 153b, third connection lines 155b, fourth connection lines 157b, and second connection patterns 159 b.

The third and fourth resistance lines 151b and 153b may be positioned in the second opening OP2 formed in each of the second touch electrodes 131 of the first row RO 1. The third and fourth resistance lines 151b and 153b may be spaced apart from the second touch electrode 131. The third resistance line 151b and the fourth resistance line 153b may be spaced apart from each other in the second opening OP 2.

The third and fourth resistance lines 151b and 153b may form a predetermined pattern. In some exemplary embodiments, as shown in fig. 11, each of the third and fourth resistance lines 151b and 153b may have a shape including two or more bent portions and portions extending in a direction intersecting the first and second directions x and y.

Alternatively, the shape of the third resistance line 151b and the shape of the fourth resistance line 153b may be variously changed.

In some exemplary embodiments, the third and fourth resistance lines 151b and 153b may be located in the same first layer L1 as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131. The third and fourth

resistive lines

151b and 153b may include a conductive material, and in some exemplary embodiments, the third and fourth

resistive lines

151b and 153b may be made of the same material as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131.

In some exemplary embodiments, the third and fourth resistance lines 151b and 153b may be formed by removing a portion of the mesh structure. In this case, the branch portions BPb connected to the third resistance line 151b and/or the fourth resistance line 153b and spaced apart from each other may be further located in the second opening OP2 as shown in fig. 12.

The branch portion BPb may be a remaining portion after a portion of the mesh structure has been removed. The branch portion BPb may be spaced apart from the second touch electrode 131, and may be disposed in the same first layer L1 as the third and fourth resistance lines 151b and 153b, and may be made of the same material as the third and fourth resistance lines 151b and 153 b.

The third connection line 155b may electrically connect the third resistance lines 151b adjacent to each other in the first direction x, and may be in contact with the third resistance lines 151 b. In addition, the fourth connection line 157b may electrically connect the fourth resistance lines 153b adjacent to each other in the first direction x, and may be in contact with the fourth resistance lines 153 b.

The third and

fourth connection lines

155b and 157b may be spaced apart from the first and

second electrode members

120 and 130 and not contact the first and

second electrode members

120 and 130. In addition, the third connection line 155b may be separated from the fourth connection line 157 b. In some exemplary embodiments, the third and

fourth connection lines

155b and 157b may be located in the same second layer L2 as the first connection portion 123a, and may be made of the same material as the first connection portion 123 a.

In some exemplary embodiments, an insulating layer IL may be disposed between the third resistance line 151b and the third connection line 155b and between the fourth resistance line 153b and the fourth connection line 157 b. The third resistance line 151b and the third connection line 155b may be connected to each other and may contact each other through a fifth contact hole CH5 formed in the insulating layer IL. The fourth resistance line 153b and the fourth connection line 157b may be connected to each other and may contact each other through a sixth contact hole CH6 formed in the insulating layer IL.

In some exemplary embodiments, the second connection pattern 159b may be positioned in the second opening OP2 located in the first row RO1 and the first column CO 1. The second connection pattern 159b may be located in the second opening OP2, and may connect the third resistance line 151b with the fourth resistance line 153 b. In some exemplary embodiments, the second connection pattern 159b may be located in the same first layer L1 as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131, and may include the same conductive material as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131.

The third strain gauge 150c may be located in one electrode row of the first electrode member 120, and may be located in an electrode row different from the first strain gauge 150 a. For example, the third strain gauge 150c may be located in the second electrode row RE 2.

The third strain gauge 150c may include fifth resistance lines 151c, sixth resistance lines 153c, fifth connection lines 155c, sixth connection lines 157c, and third connection patterns 159 c. The fifth resistance line 151c, the sixth resistance line 153c, the fifth connection line 155c, the sixth connection line 157c, and the third connection pattern 159c are substantially the same as the first resistance line 151a, the second resistance line 153a, the first connection line 155a, the second connection line 157a, and the first connection pattern 159a, respectively; therefore, redundant description will be omitted. Therefore, the description will focus on the differences.

The fifth and

sixth resistance lines

151c and 153c may be positioned in the first opening OP1 formed in each first touch electrode 121 of the second electrode row RE2, and may be spaced apart from the first touch electrode 121. In addition, the fifth resistance line 151c and the sixth resistance line 153c may be spaced apart from each other in the first opening OP 1.

In some exemplary embodiments, the fifth and

sixth resistance lines

151c and 153c may have substantially the same shape as the structure illustrated in fig. 9 when viewed from the top. When the first touch electrode 121 has a mesh structure, branch portions connected to the fifth and

sixth resistance lines

151c and 153c may be further disposed in the first opening OP1 of the second electrode row RE2, similar to that shown in fig. 10.

In some exemplary embodiments, the fifth and

sixth resistance lines

151c and 153c may be located in the same first layer L1 as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131, and may include the same conductive material as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131.

The fifth connection line 155c may electrically connect the fifth resistance lines 151c adjacent to each other in the first direction x, and may be in contact with the fifth resistance lines 151 c. In addition, the sixth connection line 157c may electrically connect the sixth resistance lines 153c adjacent to each other in the first direction x, and may be in contact with the sixth resistance lines 153 c.

The fifth resistance line 151c and the fifth connection line 155c may be connected to each other and may contact each other through a seventh contact hole CH7 formed in the insulating layer IL. The sixth resistance line 153c and the sixth connection line 157c may be connected to each other and may contact each other through an eighth contact hole CH8 formed in the insulating layer IL.

In some exemplary embodiments, the fifth and

sixth connection lines

155c and 157c may be located in the same second layer L2 as the first connection portion 123a, and may be made of the same material as the first connection portion 123 a.

In some exemplary embodiments, the third connection pattern 159c may be located in the first opening OP1 formed in the second electrode row RE2 and the first electrode column CE 1. The third connection pattern 159c may connect the fifth resistance line 151c with the sixth resistance line 153 c. In some exemplary embodiments, the third connection pattern 159c may be located in the same first layer L1 as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131, and may include the same conductive material as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131.

The fourth strain gauge 150d may be located in one row of the second touch electrode 131, and may be located in a different row from the second strain gauge 150 b. For example, the fourth strain gauge 150d may be located in the second row RO 2.

The fourth strain gauge 150d may include seventh resistance lines 151d, eighth resistance lines 153d, seventh connection lines 155d, eighth connection lines 157d, and fourth connection patterns 159 d.

The seventh resistive line 151d, the eighth resistive line 153d, the seventh connection line 155d, the eighth connection line 157d, and the fourth connection pattern 159d are substantially the same as the third resistive line 151b, the fourth resistive line 153b, the third connection line 155b, the fourth connection line 157b, and the second connection pattern 159b, respectively; therefore, redundant description will be omitted. Therefore, the description will focus on the differences, and redundant description will be omitted.

The seventh and

eighth resistance lines

151d and 153d may be positioned in the second opening OP2 in the second row RO 2. The seventh and eighth

resistive lines

151d and 153d may be spaced apart from the second touch electrode 131. The seventh resistance line 151d and the eighth resistance line 153d may be spaced apart from each other in the second opening OP 2.

In some exemplary embodiments, the seventh and eighth

resistive lines

151d and 153d may have substantially the same shape as the structure illustrated in fig. 11 when viewed from the top. When the second touch electrode 131 has the mesh structure, the branch portions connected to the seventh and eighth

resistive lines

151d and 153d may be further disposed in the second opening OP2 of the second row RO2, similar to that shown in fig. 12.

In some exemplary embodiments, the seventh and

eighth resistance lines

151d and 153d may be located at the same first layer L1 as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131, and may include the same conductive material as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131.

The seventh connection line 155d may electrically connect the seventh resistance lines 151d adjacent to each other in the first direction x, and may be in contact with the seventh resistance lines 151 d. In addition, the eighth connection line 157d may electrically connect the eighth resistance lines 153d adjacent to each other in the first direction x, and may be in contact with the eighth resistance lines 153 d.

The seventh resistance line 151d and the seventh connection line 155d may be connected to each other and may contact each other through a ninth contact hole CH9 formed in the insulating layer IL. The eighth resistance line 153d and the eighth connection line 157d may be connected to each other and may contact each other through a tenth contact hole CH10 formed in the insulating layer IL.

In some exemplary embodiments, the seventh and

eighth connection lines

155d and 157d may be located in the same second layer L2 as the first connection portion 123a, and may be formed of the same material as the first connection portion 123 a.

In some exemplary embodiments, the fourth connection pattern 159d may be positioned in the second opening OP2 located in the second row RO2 and the first column CO 1. The fourth connection pattern 159d may connect the seventh resistance line 151d with the eighth resistance line 153 d. In some exemplary embodiments, the fourth connection pattern 159d may be located in the same first layer L1 as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131, and may include the same conductive material as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131.

Each of the second, third, and

fourth strain gauges

150b, 150c, and 150d may extend from one side to the other side of the sensor portion 100 in the first direction x, and then extend from the other side to the one side in the first direction x, similar to the first strain gauge 150 a. Accordingly, both ends of the second strain gauge 150b, both ends of the third strain gauge 150c, and both ends of the fourth strain gauge 150d may be positioned adjacent to one side of the sensing area SA (e.g., the left side of the sensing area SA in fig. 3).

The dummy electrode 190 may be disposed in a row in which neither the second strain gauge 150b nor the fourth strain gauge 150d is disposed among the second openings OP2 of the second touch electrode 131. The dummy electrode 190 may be located in the second opening OP 2. In the example shown in fig. 3, the dummy electrodes 190 are disposed in the second openings OP2 located in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth rows RO3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Since the second opening OP2 is formed in each of the second touch electrodes 131, there may be a difference in reflectivity of external light. As a result, the pattern may be regarded as a stain from the outside of the display device 1. In this regard, the dummy electrode 190 reduces the difference in reflectivity of external light, thereby making the pattern less visible from the outside.

In some exemplary embodiments, the dummy electrode 190 may have the same shape as the second opening OP 2. For example, if the second opening OP2 has a diamond shape, the dummy electrode 190 may also have a diamond shape.

The dummy electrode 190 may be disposed in the second opening OP2 and may be spaced apart from the second touch electrode 131. That is, the dummy electrode 190 may be an island-shaped conductive pattern. In some exemplary embodiments, the dummy electrode 190 may be in a floating state.

The dummy electrode 190 may be located in the same first layer L1 as the first touch electrode 121, the second touch electrode 131, and the first resistance line 151a, and may be made of the same conductive material as the first touch electrode 121, the second touch electrode 131, and the first resistance line 151 a.

In some exemplary embodiments, when the second touch electrode 131 has a mesh structure, the dummy electrode 190 may also have a mesh structure as shown in fig. 8.

The noise sensing electrode member 170 may be positioned in an electrode row of the first electrode member 120, and may be disposed on an electrode row different from the electrode row in which the first and

third strain gauges

150a and 150c are disposed. For example, the noise sensing electrode members 170 may be disposed in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth electrode rows RE3, RE4, RE5, RE6, RE7, and RE8 and may be spaced apart from each other in the second direction y.

Each of the noise sensing electrode members 170 may include a noise sensing electrode 171 and a third connection part 173.

The noise sensing electrode 171 may be disposed in the first opening OP1 of the first touch electrode 121, and may be spaced apart from the first touch electrode 121. In some exemplary embodiments, the noise sensing electrode 171 may be located in the same first layer L1 as the first touch electrode 121 and may be made of the same material as the first touch electrode 121.

In some exemplary embodiments, when the first touch electrode 121 has a mesh structure, the noise sensing electrode 171 may also have a mesh structure as shown in fig. 7.

In some exemplary embodiments, the area of the first opening OP1 may be smaller than the area of the second opening OP2, and thus the area of the noise sensing electrode 171 may be smaller than the area of the dummy electrode 190.

The third connection part 173 may electrically connect two noise sensing electrodes 171 adjacent to each other in the first direction x among the noise sensing electrodes 171 located in the same electrode row. In some exemplary embodiments, the third connection part 173 may be located in the same second layer L2 as the first connection part 123, and may be made of the same material as the first connection part 123.

In some exemplary embodiments, the noise sensing electrode 171 may be connected to the third connection portion 173 through a second contact hole CH2 formed in the insulating layer IL.

The third connection portion 173 may be spaced apart from the first electrode member 120, the second electrode member 130, the first strain gauge 150a, the second strain gauge 150b, the third strain gauge 150c, and the fourth strain gauge 150 d.

In some exemplary embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the

lines

901, 903', and 905 and the

signal lines

9111, 9112, 9113, 9114, 9115, 9116, 9117, and 9118 may be disposed in the peripheral region NSA of the base layer 110.

For example, the

lines

901, 903', and 905 may include a first line 901 connected to the respective first electrode member 120, a second line 903 connected to the respective second electrode member 130, a third line 903' connected to the other end of the respective second electrode member 130, and a fourth line 905 connected to the respective noise sensing electrode member 170. As used herein, the other end of the second electrode member 130 refers to an opposite side of the second electrode member 130 to the end connected to the second line 903. That is, the line connected to the second electrode member 130 may have a dual wiring structure, and thus RC delay caused by resistance of the second electrode member 130 or the like may be reduced. However, it will be understood that the present disclosure is not so limited. Unlike that shown in fig. 3, the second wire 903 may be connected to one end of the second electrode member 130, and no other wire may be connected to the other end of the second electrode member 130. That is, in other exemplary embodiments, the wire connected to the second electrode member 130 may have a single wiring structure.

The

signal lines

9111, 9112, 9113, 9114, 9115, 9116, 9117, and 9118 may include first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and

eighth signal lines

9111, 9112, 9113, 9114, 9115, 9116, 9117, and 9118.

The first signal line 9111 may be connected to one end of the first strain gauge 150a, and the second signal line 9112 may be connected to the other end of the first strain gauge 150 a. The third signal wire 9113 may be connected to one end of the second strain gauge 150b, and the fourth signal wire 9114 may be connected to the other end of the second strain gauge 150 b. The fifth signal line 9115 may be connected to one end of the third strain gauge 150c, and the sixth signal line 9116 may be connected to the other end of the third strain gauge 150 c. The seventh signal wire 9117 may be connected to one end of the fourth strain gauge 150d, and the eighth signal wire 9118 may be connected to the other end of the fourth strain gauge 150 d.

In some example embodiments, the second signal line 9112 may be connected to the third signal line 9113, the fourth signal line 9114 may be connected to the fifth signal line 9115, and the sixth signal line 9116 may be connected to the seventh signal line 9117.

Pad (pad, also referred to as "pad" or "pad") portions TP1 and TP2 may be disposed in the peripheral region NSA of the base layer 110. The pad portions TP1 and TP2 may be electrically connected to the

wires

901, 903', and 905 and the

signal wires

9111, 9112, 9113, 9114, 9115, 9116, 9117, and 9118. Controller 200 may be electrically connected to pad portions TP1 and TP 2.

In some exemplary embodiments, the pad portions TP1 and TP2 may include a first pad portion TP1 and a second pad portion TP2 spaced apart from each other in the first direction x. For example, the first pad portion TP1 may be connected to the second line 903, the third line 903', and the fourth line 905. The second pad portion TP2 may be connected to the first wire 901. In addition, the first pad portion TP1 may be connected to the first, third, fifth, seventh and

eighth signal lines

9111, 9113, 9115, 9117 and 9118. However, it will be understood that this is merely illustrative. For example and optionally, first pad section TP1 and second pad section TP2 may not be separated from each other, but may form a single pad section. In addition, the lines and signal lines connected to the first pad portion TP1 and the second pad portion TP2 may be variously changed.

In the touch sensor TSM according to the above-described exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first touch electrode 121, the second touch electrode 131, the first resistance line 151a, the second resistance line 153a, the third resistance line 151b, the fourth resistance line 153b, the fifth resistance line 151c, the sixth resistance line 153c, the seventh resistance line 151d, and the eighth resistance line 153d are located in the same first layer L1, and thus, there is an advantage in that they can be simultaneously produced in the same process and the manufacturing process can be made simpler. In addition, since the first touch electrode 121, the second touch electrode 131, the first resistance line 151a, the second resistance line 153a, the third resistance line 151b, the fourth resistance line 153b, the fifth resistance line 151c, the sixth resistance line 153c, the seventh resistance line 151d, and the eighth resistance line 153d are located in the same first layer L1, there is an advantage in that the touch sensor TSM can have a pressure sensing capability with a reduced thickness.

In addition, since the

connection lines

155a, 157a, 155b, 157b, 155c, 157c, 155d, and 157d are located in the same second layer L2 as the first connection portion 123, there is an advantage in that the

connection lines

155a, 157a, 155b, 157b, 155c, 157c, 155d, and 157d of the strain gage 150 can be simultaneously formed in the same process and thus the manufacturing process becomes simpler.

In addition, since the touch sensor TSM includes the noise sensing electrode member 170, malfunction of the touch sensor TSM can be suppressed and sensitivity of the sensor can be improved. In addition, since the noise sensing electrode 171 is disposed in the first layer L1 and the third connection part 173 is disposed in the second layer L2, the manufacturing process of the touch sensor TSM may become simpler and the thickness of the touch sensor TSM having noise sensing capability may be reduced.

In addition, since some of the

signal lines

9111, 9112, 9113, 9114, 9115, 9116, 9117, and 9118 are connected to each other in the peripheral region NSA and only some of the signal lines are connected to the pad portions TP1 and TP2, the area of the peripheral region NSA occupied by the

signal lines

9111, 9112, 9113, 9114, 9115, 9116, 9117, and 9118 can be reduced, and the area occupied by the pad portions (e.g., the first pad portion TP1) can be reduced.

In some other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the structure of the touch sensor TSM, especially, the positions of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth

resistive lines

151a, 153a, 151b, 153b, 151c, 153c, 151d and 153d may be changed.

Fig. 24 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a first layer according to a modification of the example illustrated in fig. 6. Fig. 25 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a second layer according to a modification of the example illustrated in fig. 13. Fig. 26 is a sectional view of a modification of the example shown in fig. 16. Fig. 27 is a sectional view of a modification of the example shown in fig. 17. Fig. 28 is a sectional view of a modification of the example shown in fig. 18. Fig. 29 is a sectional view of a modification of the example shown in fig. 19. Fig. 30 is a sectional view of a modification of the example shown in fig. 20. Fig. 31 is a sectional view of a modification of the example shown in fig. 21. Fig. 32 is a sectional view of a modification of the example shown in fig. 22. Fig. 33 is a sectional view of a modification of the example shown in fig. 23.

Referring to fig. 24 to 33, in some modifications, unlike the examples illustrated in fig. 6 and 13 to 23, the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and

eighth resistance lines

151a, 153b, 151c, 153c, 151d, and 153d may be disposed in a layer different from the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131. For example, the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131 may be disposed in the first layer L1_1, and the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and

eighth resistance lines

151a, 153b, 151c, 153c, 151d, and 153d may be disposed in the second layer L2_1 (the

connection lines

155a, 157a, 155b, 157b, 155c, 157c, 155d, and 157d and the first connection part 123 are disposed in the second layer L2_ 1) and may be made of the same material as the

connection lines

155a, 157a, 155b, 157b, 155c, 157c, 155d, and 157d and the first connection part 123.

According to a modification, the first, second, third, and

fourth connection patterns

159a, 159b, 159c, and 159d may be located in the same second layer L2_1 as the first connection parts 123 and may be made of the same material as the first connection parts 123.

Fig. 34 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a first layer according to another modification of the example illustrated in fig. 6. Fig. 35 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a second layer according to another modification of the example illustrated in fig. 13. Fig. 36 is a sectional view of another modification of the example shown in fig. 16. Fig. 37 is a sectional view of another modification of the example shown in fig. 17. Fig. 38 is a sectional view of another modification of the example shown in fig. 18. Fig. 39 is a sectional view of another modification of the example shown in fig. 19. Fig. 40 is a sectional view of another modification of the example shown in fig. 20. Fig. 41 is a sectional view of another modification of the example shown in fig. 21. Fig. 42 is a sectional view of another modification of the example shown in fig. 22. Fig. 43 is a sectional view of another modification of the example shown in fig. 23.

Referring to fig. 34 to 43, unlike the examples shown in fig. 6 and 13 to 23, in some other modifications, the first, third, fifth, and

seventh resistance lines

151a, 151b, 151c, and 151d may be located in the same first layer L1_2 as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131, and may be made of the same material as the first and

second touch electrodes

121 and 131. The second, fourth, sixth, and

eighth resistance lines

153a, 153b, 153c, and 153d may be located in the same second layer L2_2 as the

connection lines

155a, 157a, 155b, 157b, 155c, 157c, 155d, and 157d and the first connection part 123, and may be made of the same material as the

connection lines

In some exemplary embodiments, when the first connection part 123 and the first touch electrode 121 are made of different materials, the first, third, fifth, and

seventh resistance lines

151a, 151b, 151c, and 151d may be made of different materials from those of the second, fourth, sixth, and

eighth resistance lines

153a, 153b, 153c, and 153 d.

In the drawing, the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a do not overlap each other when viewed from the top. However, it will be understood that the present disclosure is not so limited. The first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a are located in different layers, and thus the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a are overlapped with each other. Further, the overlapping relationship between the third resistance line 151b and the fourth resistance line 153b, the overlapping relationship between the fifth resistance line 151c and the sixth resistance line 153c, and the overlapping relationship between the seventh resistance line 151d and the eighth resistance line 153d may also be modified as the overlapping relationship between the first resistance line 151a and the second resistance line 153 a.

According to this modification, the first, second, third, and

fourth connection patterns

159a, 159b, 159c, and 159d may also be located in the same second layer L2_2 as the first connection parts 123 and may be formed of the same material as the first connection parts 123.

In the first electrode column CE1, the first resistance line 151a may be connected to the first connection pattern 159a through an eleventh contact hole CH11 formed in the insulating layer IL, and the fifth resistance line 151c may be connected to the third connection pattern 159c through a thirteenth contact hole CH13 formed in the insulating layer IL. In addition, in the first column CO1, the third resistance line 151b may be connected to the second connection pattern 159b through a twelfth contact hole CH12 formed in the insulating layer IL, and the seventh resistance line 151d may be connected to the fourth connection pattern 159d through a fourteenth contact hole CH14 formed in the insulating layer IL.

The structure of the sensor portion 100 may be variously modified other than the above.

For example, the first electrode row RE1 and the second electrode row RE2 have the structures shown in fig. 24 to 33, and the first row RO1 and the second row RO2 may be the structures shown in fig. 34 to 43. Alternatively, the first electrode row RE1 and the first row RO1 may have the structure shown in fig. 24 to 33, and the second electrode row RE2 and the second row RO2 may be the structure shown in fig. 34 to 43. Further, the above-described exemplary embodiments may be modified in various ways.

Similarly, according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the base layer 110 of the sensor part 100 may be a thin film encapsulation layer of an organic light emitting display panel. In such a case, the base layer 110 may be implemented as a multilayer including at least one organic layer and an inorganic layer, or as a single layer including a combination of organic and inorganic materials. For example, the base layer 110 may be implemented as a multilayer including at least two inorganic layers and at least one organic layer interposed between the inorganic layers. As such, in a display device in which the base layer 110 is implemented as a thin film encapsulation layer of an organic light emitting display panel, the electrodes of the sensor portion 100 and the elements of the display panel 300 may be disposed on different surfaces of the base layer 110.

Fig. 44 is an enlarged plan view of a portion Q5 of fig. 6. Fig. 45 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the sensor portion and the display panel taken along line X11-X11' in fig. 44.

Referring to fig. 44 and 45, the sensor part 100 may include a thin film encapsulation layer of a display panel (e.g., an organic light emitting display panel) 300 as the base layer 110. In other words, the display panel 300 and the sensor portion 100 may be integrally formed. In the following description, the base layer 110 and the thin film encapsulation layer may be denoted by the same reference numerals. For convenience of explanation, fig. 45 shows only a light emitting element (e.g., (organic) light emitting diode, OLED) among elements provided in each pixel of the display panel 300 and a single Thin Film Transistor (TFT) connected thereto.

The display panel 300 includes a base substrate 330, light emitting diodes OLED disposed on one surface of the base substrate 330, and a thin film encapsulation layer 110 disposed over the light emitting diodes OLED to cover at least one of the light emitting diodes OLED. In addition, according to some exemplary embodiments, the display panel 300 may further include at least one thin film transistor TFT connected to the light emitting diode OLED. The thin film transistor TFT may be disposed between the base substrate 330 and the light emitting diode OLED.

In addition, the display panel 300 may further include one or more power lines, signal lines, and/or capacitors (not shown).

According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the base substrate 330 may be a rigid substrate or a flexible substrate, and the material of the base substrate 330 is not particularly limited thereto. For example, the base substrate 330 may be a thin film substrate having flexibility.

The buffer layer BFL is disposed on the surface of the base substrate 330. The buffer layer BFL may prevent diffusion of impurities from the base substrate 330 and may improve flatness of the base substrate 330. The buffer layer BFL may be implemented as a single layer or as two or more layers. The buffer layer BFL may be an inorganic insulating layer made of an inorganic material. For example, the buffer layer BFL may be formed of silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, or the like.

The thin film transistor TFT is disposed on the buffer layer BFL. The thin film transistor TFT includes an active layer ACT, a gate electrode GE, a source electrode SE, and a drain electrode DE. According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the active layer ACT is disposed on the buffer layer BFL and may be made of a semiconductor material. For example, the active layer ACT may be a semiconductor pattern made of polysilicon, amorphous silicon, oxide semiconductor, or the like. A region of the active layer ACT (e.g., a region overlapping the gate electrode GE) may be undoped, and the remaining region may be doped with impurities.

A gate insulating layer GI may be disposed on the active layer ACT, and a gate electrode GE may be disposed on the gate insulating layer GI. In addition, an interlayer dielectric layer ILA may be disposed on the gate electrode GE, and the source electrode SE and the drain electrode DE may be disposed on the interlayer dielectric layer ILA. The source electrode SE and the drain electrode DE may contact and be electrically connected to the active layer ACT through respective contact holes CHA passing through the gate insulating layer GI and the interlayer dielectric layer ILA.

According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the passivation layer PSV is disposed over the source electrode SE and the drain electrode DE. The passivation layer PSV may cover the thin film transistor TFT.

The light emitting diode OLED is formed on the passivation layer PSV. The light emitting diode OLED may include a first electrode EL1, a second electrode EL2, and an emission layer EML interposed between the first electrode EL1 and the second electrode EL 2. According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the first electrode EL1 of the light emitting diode OLED may be, but is not limited to, an anode electrode. The first electrode EL1 of the light emitting diode OLED is in contact with and electrically connected to one electrode (for example, the drain electrode DE) of the thin film transistor TFT via a contact hole CHB penetrating the passivation layer PSV.

A pixel defining layer PDL for defining the light emitting region PXA of each pixel is disposed on the side of the base substrate 330 on which the first electrode EL1 or the like of the light emitting diode OLED is formed. The pixel defining layer PDL may expose an upper surface of the first electrode EL1, and may protrude from the base substrate 330 along a periphery of each pixel region.

The emission layer EML is disposed in the light emission region PXA surrounded by the pixel defining layer PDL. For example, the emission layer EML may be disposed on the exposed surface of the first electrode EL 1. According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the emission layer EML may have a multi-layered thin film structure including at least a light generation layer. For example, the emission layer EML may include a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light generation layer, a Hole Blocking Layer (HBL), an Electron Transport Layer (ETL), and an Electron Injection Layer (EIL). According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the color of light generated in the emission layer EML may be, but is not limited to, one of red, green, and blue. For example, the color of light generated in the emitting layer EML may be one of magenta, cyan, and yellow.

The second electrode EL2 of the light emitting diode OLED may be disposed on the emission layer EML. The second electrode EL2 of the light emitting diode OLED may be a cathode electrode.

A thin film encapsulation layer 110 covering the second electrode EL2 of the light emitting diode OLED may be disposed on the second electrode EL2 of the light emitting diode OLED. The thin film encapsulation layer 110 encapsulates the light emitting diode OLED. The thin film encapsulation layer 110 includes at least one inorganic layer (hereinafter referred to as an encapsulation inorganic layer). The thin film encapsulation layer 110 may further include at least one organic layer (hereinafter referred to as an encapsulation organic layer). The encapsulating inorganic layer protects the light emitting diode OLED from moisture/oxygen, and the encapsulating organic layer protects the light emitting diode OLED from foreign substances such as dust particles. By sealing the light emitting diode OLED with the thin film encapsulation layer 110, the thickness of the display device 1 may be reduced and the display device 1 may have flexibility.

The thin film encapsulation layer 110 may be composed of multiple layers or a single layer. For example, the thin film encapsulation layer 110 may include a first encapsulation inorganic layer 111, an encapsulation organic layer 112, and a second encapsulation inorganic layer 113 stacked on the second electrode EL2 in this order.

In some exemplary embodiments, each of the first and second encapsulation inorganic layers 111 and 113 may be made of silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, zirconium nitride, titanium nitride, hafnium nitride, tantalum nitride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tin oxide, cerium oxide, silicon oxynitride (SiON), lithium fluoride, or the like.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the encapsulation organic layer 112 may be made of acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, polyisoprene, vinyl resin, epoxy resin, urethane resin, cellulose resin, and/or perylene resin.

Note that the structure of the thin film encapsulation layer 110 is not limited to the above example. The stack structure of the thin film encapsulation layer 110 may be changed in various ways.

The elements of the second layer L2 may be disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer 110. An insulating layer IL may be disposed on the second layer L2, and the first layer L1 may be disposed on the insulating layer IL. In the drawing, the first touch electrode 121 is shown as an element of the first layer L1. As described above, the first touch electrode 121 may have a mesh structure to prevent the first touch electrode 121 from being visible to a user, and may be disposed to overlap the light emitting area PXA. In other words, a mesh hole overlapping the light emitting area PXA may be defined in each of the first touch electrodes 121 having a mesh structure.

In the display apparatus 1 according to the above-described exemplary embodiment, the display panel 300 may be implemented as an organic light emitting display panel having the thin film encapsulation layer 110, and the elements of the sensor part 100 are disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer 110. For example, the

connection lines

155a, 157a, 155b, 157b, 155c, 157c, 155d, and 157d, the first connection portion 123, and the third connection portion 173 may be disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer 110, the insulating layer IL may be disposed on the foregoing elements, and the first touch electrode 121, the second touch electrode 131, the second connection portion 133, and the

resistance lines

151a, 153a, 151b, 153b, 151c, 153c, 151d, and 153d, the noise sensing electrode 171, the dummy electrode 190, and the like may be disposed on the insulating layer IL.

Hereinafter, an operation of detecting a touch position by the controller 200 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 46.

Fig. 46 is a diagram for illustrating an operation of detecting a touch position according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 46, the touch driver 210 may supply a driving signal Ts to the second electrode member 130 through the second line 903 and the third line 903' as shown in fig. 3. In some exemplary embodiments, the driving signal Ts may be sequentially supplied to each of the second electrode members 130.

The touch detector 230 may receive the sensing signal Rs from the first electrode member 120 through the first wire 901 as shown in fig. 3. In some exemplary embodiments, as described above, the sensing signal Rs may contain information about the amount of change in the mutual capacitance between the first electrode member 120 and the second electrode member 130. When the driving signal Ts is applied to the second electrode member 130, a mutual capacitance Cm is formed between the second electrode member 130 and the first electrode member 120. When a touch input is made, the mutual capacitance Cm changes, and the sensing signal Rs may contain information about the amount of the changed mutual capacitance.

In some exemplary embodiments, the touch detector 230 may include at least one amplifier 231, such as an Operational (OP) amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC)233, and a processor 235.

The amplifier 231 may include a first input terminal 231a, a second input terminal 231b, and an output terminal 231 c. According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the first input terminal 231a of the amplifier 231 (e.g., the inverting input terminal of the OP amplifier) may be electrically connected to the first electrode member 120 via a first line 901. The sensing signal Rs may be input to the first input terminal 231 a.

According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the second input terminal 231b of the amplifier 231 (e.g., the non-inverting input terminal of the OP amplifier) may be electrically connected to the noise sensing electrode member 170 via a fourth line 905 as shown in fig. 3. The noise sensing signal Ns may be input to the second input terminal 231b of the amplifier 231. Therefore, the reference voltage of each amplifier 231 fluctuates together with the voltage fluctuation of the corresponding noise sensing electrode member 170. That is, the reference potential of each amplifier 231 may vary according to the potential (voltage level) of the noise sensing electrode member 170.

The potential of the noise sensing electrode member 170 may vary according to a noise signal introduced into the sensor portion 100 from the display panel 300 or the like. For example, the potential of the noise sensing electrode member 170 may vary in response to common mode noise introduced into the sensor portion 100 from the display panel 300 or the like.

Therefore, by further providing the noise sensing electrode member 170 in the sensing region SA and by changing the reference potential of the amplifier 231 using the noise sensing signal Ns sensed by the noise sensing electrode member 170, the common mode noise introduced into the sensor part 100 can be removed or eliminated. Specifically, the first electrode member 120 and the noise sensing electrode member 170, which are sensing electrode members, have corresponding ripples (ripple) in response to the common mode noise. Specifically, the first electrode member 120 and the noise sensing electrode member 170 extend in the same direction in the sensing region SA and are arranged at positions corresponding to each other, and thus they receive noise signals of the same or very similar shape and/or size. In addition, the first electrode member 120 is electrically connected to the first input terminal 231a of the amplifier 231 via a first line 901, and the noise sensing electrode member 170 is electrically connected to the second input terminal 231b of the amplifier 231 via a fourth line 905 different from the first line 901. Accordingly, a noise component (ripple) included in the sensing signal Rs received from the first electrode member 120 can be effectively eliminated. Therefore, the signal may be output from the output terminal 231c of the amplifier 231 after the noise is removed.

In some exemplary embodiments, the capacitor C and the reset switch SW may be connected in parallel between the first input terminal 231a and the output terminal 231C of the amplifier 231.

Although the amplifier 231 is implemented as a non-inverting amplifier in the above example, it will be understood that the disclosure is not so limited. In another exemplary embodiment, the amplifier 231 may be implemented as an inverting amplifier or the like.

The output terminal 231c of the amplifier 231 may be electrically connected to the analog-to-digital converter 233.

Analog-to-digital converter 233 may receive an analog signal to convert it to a digital signal. According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of the analog-to-digital converters 233 may be equal to the number of the first electrode members 120. Alternatively, in another exemplary embodiment, the first electrode member 120 may share a single analog-to-digital converter 233. In such a case, a switching circuit for channel selection may be additionally provided.

The processor 235 processes the converted signal (digital signal) from the analog-to-digital converter 233 and detects a touch input based on the result of the signal processing. For example, the processor 235 may comprehensively analyze the first sensing signal amplified by the amplifier 231 and converted by the analog-to-digital converter 233 to detect the presence and location (if any) of the touch input. According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor 235 may be implemented as a microprocessor unit (MPU). In this case, a memory required for driving the processor 235 may be additionally provided in the touch detector 230. Note that the configuration of the processor 235 is not limited thereto. As another example, processor 235 may be implemented as a Microcontroller (MCU) or the like.

The touch sensor TSM according to the above-described exemplary embodiments may effectively remove a noise signal introduced from the display panel 300 or the like, and may improve a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Therefore, malfunction of the touch sensor TSM due to the noise signal can be suppressed, and sensitivity can be improved.

Hereinafter, an operation of detecting a touch pressure by the controller 200 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 47 and 48.

Fig. 47 is a plan view schematically showing the first strain gauge, the second strain gauge, the third strain gauge, the fourth strain gauge, the arrangement of the first to eighth signal lines, and the connections of the wheatstone bridge circuit shown in fig. 3. Fig. 48 is a circuit diagram for illustrating an operation of detecting a touch pressure of a touch sensor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, particularly illustrating a wheatstone bridge circuit electrically connected to the first, second, third, and fourth strain gauges illustrated in fig. 47.

Referring to fig. 47 and 48, the first strain gauge 150a may include one end E1a and the other end E2a, both located at one side (e.g., the left side) of the sensing region SA. As described above, the end E1a of the first strain gauge 150a may be connected to the first signal line 9111, and the end E2a of the first strain gauge 150a may be connected to the second signal line 9112.

The second strain gauge 150b may include one end E1b and the other end E2b each located at one side (e.g., the left side) of the sensing region SA. The end E1b of the second strain gauge 150b may be connected to the third signal line 9113, and the end E2b of the second strain gauge 150b may be connected to the fourth signal line 9114.

The third strain gauge 150c may include one end E1c and the other end E2c each located at one side (e.g., the left side) of the sensing region SA. Ends E1c of the third strain gauge 150c may be connected to fifth signal lines 9115, and ends E2c of the third strain gauge 150c may be connected to sixth signal lines 9116.

The fourth strain gauge 150d may include one end E1d and the other end E2d each located at one side (e.g., the left side) of the sensing region SA. The end E1d of the fourth strain gauge 150d may be connected to the seventh signal line 9117, and the end E2d of the fourth strain gauge 150d may be connected to the eighth signal line 9118.

In some example embodiments, as shown in fig. 47, one end E1a and the other end E2a of the first strain gauge 150a, one end E1b and the other end E2b of the second strain gauge 150b, one end E1c and the other end E2c of the third strain gauge 150c, and one end E1d and the other end E2d of the fourth strain gauge 150d may all be located on one side of the sensing region SA (e.g., the left side of the sensing region SA in the drawing).

As described above, in the peripheral region NSA, the second signal line 9112 may be connected to the third signal line 9113, the fourth signal line 9114 may be connected to the fifth signal line 9115, and the sixth signal line 9116 may be connected to the seventh signal line 9117. As a result, the area occupied by the signal line can be reduced.

The pressure detector 250 may include a wheatstone bridge circuit WB.

The wheatstone bridge circuit WB includes a first node N1, a second node N2, a first output node N3, and a second output node N4. In some exemplary embodiments, the driving voltage Vd may be applied to the first node N1, and the reference voltage Vref may be applied to the second node N2. For example, the reference voltage Vref may be a ground voltage.

In some exemplary embodiments, the wheatstone bridge circuit WB may further include a first element 253 connected to the first output node N3 and the second output node N4, and a second element 255 connected to the first node N1 and the second node N2.

The first element 253 may sense a flow of current between the first output node N3 and the second output node N4. For example, the first element 253 may be a current detector or a voltage measurer.

The second element 255 may be a voltage supply element for supplying a voltage to the first node N1 and the second node N2. In some exemplary embodiments, the second element 255 may provide the driving voltage Vd to the first node N1 and the reference voltage Vref to the second node N2.

The first, second, third, and

fourth strain gauges

150a, 150b, 150c, and 150d may be electrically connected to the wheatstone bridge circuit WB.

More specifically, in some exemplary embodiments, the end E1a of the first strain gauge 150a may be electrically connected to the first node N1 via a first signal line 9111, and the other end E2a of the first strain gauge 150a may be connected to the second output node N4 via a second signal line 9112 and a third signal line 9113. In addition, the end E1b of the second strain gauge 150b may be electrically connected to the second output node N4 via a third signal line 9113, and the other end E2b of the second strain gauge 150b may be connected to the second node N2 via a fourth signal line 9114 and a fifth signal line 9115. In addition, the end E1c of the third strain gauge 150c may be electrically connected to the second node N2 via a fifth signal line 9115, and the other end E2c of the third strain gauge 150c may be connected to the first output node N3 via a sixth signal line 9116 and a seventh signal line 9117. In addition, the end E1d of the fourth strain gauge 150d may be electrically connected to the first output node N3 via a seventh signal line 9117, and the other end E2d of the fourth strain gauge 150d may be connected to the first node N1 via an eighth signal line 9118.

According to the exemplary embodiment, as described above, the first, second, third, and

fourth strain gauges

150a, 150b, 150c, and 150d may be electrically connected to each other to form the wheatstone bridge circuit WB.

In some exemplary embodiments, when no touch input is made or when no external force is applied, the resistance value Ra of the first strain gauge 150a, the resistance value Rb of the second strain gauge 150b, the resistance value Rc of the third strain gauge 150c, and the resistance value Rd of the fourth strain gauge 150d may all be substantially equal.

When the touch input is not performed to the sensor portion 100, the resistance value Ra of the first strain gauge 150a, the resistance value Rb of the second strain gauge 150b, the resistance value Rc of the third strain gauge 150c, and the resistance value Rd of the fourth strain gauge 150d may be maintained to be equal. For example, a value obtained by multiplying the resistance value Ra of the first strain gauge 150a by the resistance value Rc of the third strain gauge 150c may be substantially equal to a value obtained by multiplying the resistance value Rb of the second strain gauge 150b by the resistance value Rd of the fourth strain gauge 150 d. That is, when the touch input is not made to the sensor part 100, the voltage at the first output node N3 may be equal to the voltage at the second output node N4.

When a touch input is made to the sensor portion 100, at least one of the first, second, third, and

fourth strain gauges

150a, 150b, 150c, and 150d may be deformed in shape by the intensity of the touch. As the shape is deformed, at least one of the resistance value Ra of the first strain gauge 150a, the resistance value Rb of the second strain gauge 150b, the resistance value Rc of the third strain gauge 150c, and the resistance value Rd of the fourth strain gauge 150d may be changed. As a result, a voltage difference is generated between the first output node N3 and the second output node N4. In addition, by measuring the voltage difference or the amount of current generated by the voltage difference using the first element 253, the intensity of touch or the pressure of touch can be detected.

It is to be noted that the electrical connections between the first, second, third and

fourth strain gauges

150a, 150b, 150c and 150d and the wheatstone bridge circuit WB1 may be changed in various ways. For example, in fig. 48, the position of the first strain gauge 150a may be interchanged with the position of the second strain gauge 150 b.

That is, the touch sensor TSM according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may detect a touched position by using the first electrode member 120, the second electrode member 130, and the touch driver 210, and may detect the intensity of a pressure by using the first strain gauge 150a, the second strain gauge 150b, the third strain gauge 150c, the fourth strain gauge 150d, and the pressure detector 250.

The touch sensor TSM according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may detect a position of a touch by using the first electrode member 120, the second electrode member 130, and the touch driver 210, and may detect a magnitude of a pressure by using the strain gauge 150 and the pressure detector 250.

The strain gauge 150 of the touch sensor TSM may be used as an input device of various electronic devices including the display device 1. The strain gauge 150 may be used in place of or in combination with physical input buttons. For example, the strain gauge 150 and the pressure detector 250 may be used to detect the intensity of pressure, and may output a preprogrammed operation of the display apparatus 1 according to the intensity of pressure. For example, pre-programmed functions may be performed, such as locking the screen, unlocking the screen, switching a hardware element (e.g., a sensor such as a fingerprint sensor) from a non-operational state to a standby mode or a wake-up mode, switching the screen, invoking an application, running an application, capturing a picture, and answering a call.

Fig. 49 is a plan view illustrating a sensor portion of a touch sensor and a connection relationship between the sensor portion and a controller according to another exemplary embodiment. Fig. 50 is an enlarged plan view of the first, second, third, and fourth strain gauges shown in fig. 49. Fig. 51 is an enlarged view of a portion Qb of fig. 49. Fig. 52 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of a first layer of the sensor portion illustrated in fig. 51. Fig. 53 is an enlarged plan view of a portion Q6 of fig. 52. Fig. 54 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of a second layer of the sensor portion illustrated in fig. 51. FIG. 55 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xa-Xa' of FIG. 51.

Referring to fig. 49 to 51, the touch sensor TSM _1 according to the exemplary embodiment includes a sensor portion 100_1 and a controller 200.

The sensor portion 100_1 is substantially the same as the sensor portion 100 of the touch sensor TSM, except that the former further includes a first strain gauge 150a1 and a third strain gauge 150c 1. Therefore, the description will focus on the differences.

Unlike the first strain gauge 150a of the sensor portion 100 described above, the first strain gauge 150a1 further includes a first conductive pattern 152a and a second conductive pattern 154 a.

Unlike the third strain gauge 150c of the sensor portion 100 described above, the third strain gauge 150c1 further includes a third conductive pattern 152c and a fourth conductive pattern 154 c.

As shown in the drawing, the first and second

conductive patterns

152a and 154a may be located in the same first layer L1a as the first resistance line 151a, and may be formed of the same material as the first resistance line 151 a.

The shape of the first conductive pattern 152a may be different from the shape of the first resistive line 151a when viewed from the top, and the shape of the second conductive pattern 154a may be different from the shape of the second resistive line 153a when viewed from the top.

As with the first and second

conductive patterns

152a and 154a, the third and fourth

conductive patterns

152c and 154c may be located in the same first layer L1a as the first touch electrode 121, and may be formed of the same material as the fifth resistance line 151 c.

On the base layer 110, a first region a11 and a second region a12 adjacent to the first region a11 may be defined in the first direction x. In some exemplary embodiments, the first area a11 may be predefined in the touch sensor TSM _ 1. For example, the first area a11 may be used instead of a physical input button.

The first and second

conductive patterns

152a and 154a may be positioned in the first opening OP1 located in the first region a11 of the first electrode row RE1, and may be spaced apart from the first touch electrode 121. In some exemplary embodiments, the first and second

conductive patterns

152a and 154a may be spaced apart from each other in the first opening OP 1. The first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a may be disposed in the first opening OP1 of the first electrode row RE1 located in the second region a12 different from the first region a 11.

The third and fourth

conductive patterns

152c and 154c may be disposed in the first opening OP1 in the first region a11 of the second electrode row RE 2. The third and fourth

conductive patterns

152c and 154c may be spaced apart from the first touch electrode 121. The third and fourth

conductive patterns

152c and 154c may be spaced apart from each other in the first opening OP 1. The fifth and

sixth resistance lines

151c and 153c may be disposed in the first opening OP1 of the second electrode row RE2 located in the second region a12 different from the first region a 11.

The first conductive pattern 152a and the first resistance line 151a adjacent to each other in the first direction x may be electrically connected to each other via the first connection line 155a located in the second layer L2 a. In some exemplary embodiments, the first conductive pattern 152a may be connected to the first connection line 155a through a contact hole CHa1 formed in the insulating layer IL. In addition, the second conductive pattern 154a and the second resistance line 153a adjacent to each other in the first direction x may be electrically connected via a second connection line 157a located in the second layer L2 a. In some exemplary embodiments, the second conductive pattern 154a may be connected to the second connection line 157a through a contact hole CHa2 formed in the insulating layer IL.

The third conductive pattern 152c may be connected to the fifth resistance line 151c via a fifth connection line 155 c. The fourth conductive pattern 154c may be connected to the sixth resistance line 153c via a sixth connection line 157 c. Although not shown in the drawings, a contact hole for connecting the third conductive pattern 152c with the fifth connection line 155c and a contact hole for connecting the fourth conductive pattern 154c with the sixth connection line 157c may be formed in the insulating layer IL.

In some exemplary embodiments, the change in the length or the cross-sectional area of the first conductive pattern 152a may be less than the change in the length or the cross-sectional area of the first resistance line 151a when the same pressure is applied. That is, when the same pressure is applied, the variation amount of the resistance value of the first conductive pattern 152a may be smaller than that of the first resistance line 151 a.

Similarly, the variation amount of the resistance value of the second conductive pattern 154a may be smaller than that of the second resistance line 153a for the same pressing force, the variation amount of the resistance value of the third conductive pattern 152c may be smaller than that of the fifth resistance line 151c for the same pressing force, and the variation amount of the resistance value of the fourth conductive pattern 154c may be smaller than that of the sixth resistance line 153c for the same pressing force.

In some exemplary embodiments, the first and second

conductive patterns

152a and 154a may have a mesh structure as shown in fig. 53. The shape of the third conductive pattern 152c and the shape of the fourth conductive pattern 154c may be substantially the same as the shape of the first conductive pattern 152a and the second conductive pattern 154 a.

When a touch input of a user is made to the first region a11, the resistance value of the first strain gauge 150a1 and/or the resistance value of the third strain gauge 150c1 change according to the intensity of the touch input. In addition, as the temperature of the user changes, the resistance value of the first strain gauge 150a1 and/or the resistance value of the third strain gauge 150c1 may change. Accordingly, with the first gauge 150a1, the amount of change in the resistance value of the first gauge 150a1 may include a component that changes with shape change during touch pressure (hereinafter, referred to as a pressure resistant component) and a component that changes based on a change in temperature (hereinafter, referred to as a temperature resistant component). The temperature resistant component is independent of the magnitude of the touch pressure and thus acts as noise during pressure detection.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the first strain gauge 150a1 includes first and second

conductive patterns

152a and 154a located in the first region a11, and the third strain gauge 150c1 includes third and fourth

conductive patterns

152c and 154c located in the first region a 11. Therefore, when a touch input of a user is made in the first area a11, the resistance values of the first and second

conductive patterns

152a and 154a do not substantially change, and the resistance values of the third and fourth

conductive patterns

152c and 154c do not substantially change. Heat generated by the temperature of the user is transferred from the first and second

conductive patterns

152a and 154a to the first and

second resistance lines

151a and 153a, and from the third and fourth

conductive patterns

152c and 154c to the fifth and

sixth resistance lines

151c and 153 c. Therefore, based on the temperature change, a change in resistance value occurs in the first strain gauge 150a1 and the third strain gauge 150c 1.

That is, when a touch input is made, the resistance value of the first strain gauge 150a1 and the third strain gauge 150c1 does not substantially change due to the intensity of the touch input, but changes due to a temperature change. In addition, when a touch input is performed in the first region a11, the resistance value changes due to a shape change and the resistance value changes due to a temperature change in the second and fourth strain gauges 150b and 150 d. Therefore, by utilizing the change in the resistance values based on the temperature change in the first strain gauge 150a1 and the third strain gauge 150c1, it is possible to compensate for the component based on the temperature change among the changes in the resistance values of the second strain gauge 150b and the fourth strain gauge 150 d.

According to some modifications, the structure of the touch sensor TSM _1 (especially, the positions of the first, second, third, and fourth

conductive patterns

152a, 154a, 152c, and 154 c) may be changed.

Fig. 56 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a first layer according to a modification of the example illustrated in fig. 52. Fig. 57 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a second layer according to a modification of the example illustrated in fig. 54.

Referring to fig. 56 and 57, in some modifications, unlike the example illustrated in fig. 49 to 51, the first, second, third, and fourth

conductive patterns

152a, 154a, 152c, and 152c may be located in a different layer from the first touch electrode 121. For example, the first touch electrode 121 may be located in the first layer L1a _1, and the first, second, third, and fourth

conductive patterns

152a, 154a, 152c, and 154c may be located in the same second layer L2a _1 as the first and

second connection lines

155a and 157 a.

Fig. 58 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a first layer according to another modification of the example illustrated in fig. 52. Fig. 59 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a second layer according to another modification of the example illustrated in fig. 54.

Referring to fig. 58 and 59, unlike the example shown in fig. 49 to 51, in some other modifications, the first and third

conductive patterns

152a and 152c (see fig. 50) may be located in the same first layer L1a _2 as the first touch electrode 121, and the second and fourth

conductive patterns

154a and 154c (see fig. 50) may be located in the same second layer L2a _2 as the first and

second connection lines

155a and 157 a. In the drawing, the first conductive pattern 152a and the second resistance line 154a do not overlap each other when viewed from the top. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not so limited. The first and second

conductive patterns

152a and 154a are located in different layers, and thus the first and second

conductive patterns

152a and 154a may overlap each other. The relationship between the third conductive pattern 152c (see fig. 50) and the fourth conductive pattern 154c (see fig. 50) may be modified similarly to the relationship between the first conductive pattern 152a and the second conductive pattern 154 a.

In the touch sensor and the display device including the same according to the above-described exemplary embodiments, since the strain gauge is located in the touch sensor, the magnitude of the pressure can be detected even without a separate pressure sensor. In addition, there is an advantage in that strain gauges can be manufactured together during a process of manufacturing the touch electrode and the connection part, and the thickness of the touch sensor is not increased even if the strain gauge is added. In addition, since the strain gauge may be used instead of or in combination with the physical input button, it is possible to provide a user with various user interfaces.

In addition, the touch sensor can eliminate noise introduced from the display panel or the like, and thus can improve touch sensitivity.

In addition, according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the touch sensor may compensate for a resistance change due to temperature, so that the detection sensitivity of the touch pressure may be improved.

However, the effects of the embodiments are not limited to those set forth herein. The above and other effects of the embodiments will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments pertain by referencing the claims.

Claims

1. A touch sensor, the touch sensor comprising:

a substrate layer;

first electrode members arranged on the base layer in a first direction and spaced apart from each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction, each of the first electrode members including a first opening and a plurality of first touch electrodes electrically connected to each other in the first direction;

second electrode members arranged on the base layer in the second direction and spaced apart from each other in the first direction, each of the second electrode members including a second opening and a plurality of second touch electrodes electrically connected to each other in the second direction intersecting the first direction;

a first strain gauge including a portion located in the first opening and disposed in a first electrode row among the electrode rows of the first electrode member;

a second strain gauge including a portion located in the second opening and disposed in a first row among the rows of the plurality of second touch electrodes;

a first signal line connected to one end of the first strain gauge;

a second signal line connected to the other end of the first strain gauge and spaced apart from the first signal line;

a third signal line connected to one end of the second strain gauge and the second signal line; and

a fourth signal line connected to the other end of the second strain gauge and spaced apart from the third signal line.

2. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the first strain gauge comprises: a plurality of first resistance lines electrically connected to each other in the first direction; and a plurality of second resistance lines electrically connected to each other in the first direction and

wherein each of the plurality of first resistance lines and each of the plurality of second resistance lines are located in the first opening in the first electrode row and are spaced apart from each other in the first opening.

3. The touch sensor according to claim 2, wherein the first electrode member further includes first connection portions each connecting two of the plurality of first touch electrodes adjacent to each other in the first direction, and the second electrode member further includes second connection portions each connecting two of the plurality of second touch electrodes adjacent to each other in the second direction, the second connection portions being insulated from the first connection portions,

wherein the plurality of first touch electrodes, the plurality of second touch electrodes, the plurality of first resistance lines, and the plurality of second resistance lines are located in the same first layer, one of the first connection portions and the second connection portions is located in a second layer different from the first layer, and the other of the first connection portions and the second connection portions is located in the first layer.

4. The touch sensor of claim 3, wherein the first strain gauge comprises: first connection lines each of which connects two first resistance lines adjacent to each other in the first direction among the plurality of first resistance lines; and second connection lines each of which connects two second resistance lines adjacent to each other in the first direction among the plurality of second resistance lines, and wherein the first connection lines and the second connection lines are located in the second layer.

5. The touch sensor of claim 4, wherein the first strain gauge further comprises a first connection pattern connected to and in the same layer as the first and second plurality of resistive lines, and

wherein the first connection pattern is located in an outermost first opening of the first electrode row among the first openings.

6. The touch sensor of claim 4, further comprising:

an insulating layer disposed on the substrate layer, wherein the first connection lines and the second connection lines are disposed on the substrate layer, wherein the insulating layer is disposed on the first connection lines and the second connection lines, and wherein the plurality of first touch electrodes, the plurality of second touch electrodes, the plurality of first resistance lines, and the plurality of second resistance lines are disposed on the insulating layer.

7. The touch sensor of claim 6, wherein the substrate layer comprises a first encapsulating inorganic layer, an encapsulating organic layer disposed on the first encapsulating inorganic layer, and a second encapsulating inorganic layer disposed on the encapsulating organic layer, and wherein the first and second connecting lines are disposed on the second encapsulating inorganic layer.

8. The touch sensor according to claim 2, wherein the first electrode member further includes first connection portions each connecting two of the plurality of first touch electrodes that are adjacent to each other in the first direction, and the second electrode member further includes second connection portions each connecting two of the plurality of second touch electrodes that are adjacent to each other in the second direction, the second connection portions being insulated from the first connection portions, wherein the plurality of first touch electrodes, the plurality of second touch electrodes, and the plurality of first resistance wires are located in a same first layer, one of the first connection portions and the second connection portions is located in a second layer different from the first layer, and the other of the first connection portions and the second connection portions is located in the first layer, and the plurality of second resistance lines are located in the second layer.

9. The touch sensor according to claim 2, wherein the first electrode member further includes first connection portions each connecting two of the plurality of first touch electrodes adjacent to each other in the first direction, and the second electrode member further includes second connection portions each connecting two of the plurality of second touch electrodes adjacent to each other in the second direction, the second connection portions being insulated from the first connection portions, wherein the plurality of first touch electrodes and the plurality of second touch electrodes are located in a same first layer, one of the first connection portions and the second connection portions is located in a second layer different from the first layer, and the other of the first connection portions and the second connection portions is located in the first layer, and the plurality of first resistance lines and the plurality of second resistance lines are located in the second layer.

10. The touch sensor of claim 2, wherein the second strain gauge comprises: a plurality of third resistance lines electrically connected to each other in the first direction; and a plurality of fourth resistance lines electrically connected to each other in the first direction; third connection lines each of which connects two third resistance lines adjacent to each other in the first direction among the plurality of third resistance lines; and fourth connection lines each connecting two fourth resistance lines adjacent to each other in the first direction among the plurality of fourth resistance lines, wherein each of the plurality of third resistance lines and each of the plurality of fourth resistance lines are located in the second opening in the first row and are spaced apart from each other in the second opening.

11. The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein the second opening has an area larger than the first opening.

12. The touch sensor of claim 2, further comprising: a third strain gauge located in a second electrode row adjacent to the first electrode row in the second direction among the electrode rows of the first electrode member, and including a portion located in the first opening in the second electrode row; and a fourth strain gauge located in a second row adjacent to the first row in the second direction among the rows of the second touch electrodes and including a portion located in the second opening in the second row, wherein the first row is located between the first and second electrode rows along the second direction, and the second electrode row is located between the first and second rows along the second direction.

13. The touch sensor of claim 12, further comprising: a fifth signal line connected to one end of the third strain gauge and the fourth signal line; a sixth signal line connected to the other end of the third strain gauge; a seventh signal line connected to one end of the fourth strain gauge and the sixth signal line; and an eighth signal line connected to the other end of the fourth strain gauge.

14. The touch sensor according to claim 13, wherein a sensing region in which the first electrode member and the second electrode member are provided and a peripheral region around the sensing region are defined in the base layer, wherein the third signal line is connected to the second signal line in the peripheral region, the fifth signal line is connected to the fourth signal line in the peripheral region, and the seventh signal line is connected to the sixth signal line in the peripheral region.

15. The touch sensor of claim 13, further comprising: a wheatstone bridge circuit including a first node to which a driving voltage is applied, a second node to which a reference voltage is applied, a first output node, and a second output node, wherein the first signal line and the eighth signal line are electrically connected to the first node, the third signal line is electrically connected to the second output node, the fifth signal line is electrically connected to the second node, and the seventh signal line is electrically connected to the first output node.

16. The touch sensor of claim 2, wherein the base layer comprises a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region in the first direction, wherein the first strain gauge further comprises: a first conductive pattern electrically connected to the plurality of first resistance lines in the first direction and having a shape different from a shape of the plurality of first resistance lines; and a second conductive pattern connected to the plurality of second resistance lines in the first direction and having a shape different from a shape of the plurality of second resistance lines, wherein the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern are located in the first opening and spaced apart from each other in the first region, and wherein the plurality of first resistance lines and the plurality of second resistance lines are located in the first opening in the second region.

17. The touch sensor of claim 16, wherein the first and second conductive patterns have a mesh structure.

18. The touch sensor of claim 1, further comprising a dummy pattern located in a different area than the second strain gauge, wherein the dummy pattern is disposed in the second opening among the second openings located in the different area and spaced apart from the plurality of second touch electrodes, and wherein the plurality of first touch electrodes, the plurality of second touch electrodes, and the dummy pattern are located in a same first layer, and the plurality of first touch electrodes and the plurality of second touch electrodes are made of a same material.

19. The touch sensor of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of noise sensing electrodes located in a different region than the first strain gauge and electrically connected to each other in the first direction, wherein each of the plurality of noise sensing electrodes is located in the first opening in the different region and is spaced apart from the plurality of first touch electrodes.

20. The touch sensor of claim 19, further comprising: a controller configured to cancel noise in the signals sensed by the first electrode member based on the noise signals sensed by the plurality of noise sensing electrodes.

21. A touch sensor, the touch sensor comprising:

a substrate layer;

a plurality of touch electrodes disposed on the base layer, and arranged in a first direction and each having an opening; and

a strain gauge, comprising: a plurality of first resistance lines electrically connected to each other in the first direction; a plurality of second resistance lines electrically connected to each other in the first direction; and a connection pattern connecting one of the plurality of first resistance lines with a corresponding one of the plurality of second resistance lines,

wherein each of the plurality of first resistance lines is located in the opening and spaced apart from the touch electrode, and each of the plurality of second resistance lines is located in the opening and spaced apart from the touch electrode and the plurality of first resistance lines.

22. The touch sensor of claim 21, wherein the first or second plurality of resistive lines are in the same layer as the touch electrodes and are made of the same material as the touch electrodes.

23. The touch sensor of claim 21, wherein the first and second plurality of resistive lines are in a different layer than the touch electrodes.

24. The touch sensor of claim 21, further comprising: a noise sensing electrode located in a different region than the strain gauge, wherein the noise sensing electrode is located in the opening in the different region and is spaced apart from the plurality of touch electrodes.

25. The touch sensor of claim 24, wherein the noise sensing electrode is in the same layer as the plurality of touch electrodes and is made of the same material as the plurality of touch electrodes.

26. A display device, the display device comprising:

a base substrate;

a light emitting diode disposed on the base substrate;

the thin film packaging layer is arranged on the light emitting diode;

a touch electrode disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer and including an opening; and

a strain gauge, wherein the strain gauge comprises: first and second resistance lines in the opening and spaced apart from the touch electrode; a first connection line connected to the first resistance line and located in a layer different from the touch electrode; a second connection line connected to the second resistance line, spaced apart from the first connection line, and located in the same layer as the first connection line; and a connection pattern connected to the first resistance line and the second resistance line and located in the same layer as the touch electrode or the first connection line.